Relive
by HouseFan92
Summary: What happens when a strange fog covers Hueco Mundo, Soul Society and the Human World that affect everyone except a very limited number of people that changes them forever? What are the side effects of this fog and can the ones that it didn't impact ever be the same again? What will happen to these people when they return home? Creating deep bonds in the process. Read to find out!
1. Saving the Girl

**Hello everyone, I'm really excited about this story and have already plotted out the whole story from beginning to end. If everything goes according to this plan then this story should be pretty lengthy and I really hope I receive reviews telling me what you guys think about it. I hope all of you enjoy it and can stick with it through all the chapters that I am planning on writing. This story will have a very odd pairing but I wanted to try something new because I didn't want to make things obvious. I do plan on keeping all the characters very in-character and is set during the Winter War and forward, so it will contain spoilers for anyone who isn't at that point just yet. Reviews will really help the development of this story and keep me motivated, but I digress on with the story!**

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**Chapter 1: "Saving the Girl" **

Las Noches (5th Tower):

He could feel it, very faint, but it was there. He continued running, always keeping his ears sharp for any indication of the Espada or Arrancar that might be lingering around any corner; yet to this point all the noise present was the sound of his hurried footsteps along the long grey corridors.

He knew the fifth tower would be pretty empty due to all the Espada and Arrancar quite busy fighting the other Shinigami outside the towers or currently in the World of the Living, yet he didn't expect it to be completely empty.

_'No Renji, no, don't let your guard down, be alert, for any slip up could cost you your life' _he roughly shook his head and narrowed his eyes when he saw a door up ahead. The reiatsu of the girl they had all come here to save was getting more noticeable and her presence was being indicated of being just behind that door. The mere sight of the enormous door intimidated him, as if taunting him to throw it open and see her face or it could all just be a trap.

His thoughts again infiltrated all this concentration '_why are you stalling? Seriously Renji, Orihime could be behind this door and all you can worry about it yourself, she is probably scared and waiting to hear any news about her frie..' _his hand was obviously getting the message before his mind registered his thoughts for he roughly threw open the door in front of him. The red head winced as he heard the loud noise that the action of roughly throwing the door open had caused '_Idiot! If Orihime is behind this door then you just scared her even more, and if she's not you definitely got any Arrancar or Espada in the area to come hurrying in this direction' _he mentally punched himself and again focusing on task he looked inside the room.

The room was dark with only the quiet light of the moonlight that seemed to surround Hueco Mundo entirely present, never brighter; never darker. Renji looked around the room and took in the white furniture, a large white sofa against the stone wall, and a small wooden table on the corner of the adjacent wall. On top of the table he took in the plate with untouched bread and a cup of water. He eyed the bread for a couple of seconds before his stomach yelled at his brain that he hadn't eaten for a while and deciding at just that moment to send an external signal. Renji frowned when he heard his stomach growl. Looking around him again to make sure he was alone he sprinted towards the small table almost knocking it down as he roughly grabbed the bread and stuffed it whole into his mouth.

Just at that moment he heard a soft gasp and immediately turned his head to the sofa across the room. Hiding behind the large piece of furniture he recognized the large grey eyes that watched him with curiosity and relief, traces of tears evident on her pale cheeks. Renji stood there shocked when he recognized the hidden figure by the faint sight of bright orange hair.

"O..Ori" he spoke just to receive any kind of confirmation from the hidden figure but just as the sound left his lips he immediately regretted speaking for he had forgotten that he still had a whole loaf of bread in his mouth.

He started to roughly cough when the loaf of bread decided to get stuck in his throat. His eyes started to water and the eyes of the grey eyed girl immediately turned to fear. Renji's eyes softened when he saw the girl come out from behind the couch and immediately felt his whole being feel relief for knowing the girl was just fine, but what caught his interest the most was her attire. She wore a black and white dress that was similar to the attire of many Espada he had fought.

Renji looked into her eyes and saw the same worried and fearful expression. His coughing had gotten even more violent and his face turned two shades paler. She looked at him with a questionable expression and he gave her a confused look but immediately soon after understood what she had meant when her hand came down roughly on his back and immediately spit out the load of bread.

"S..Sorry Abarai-kun", she bowed her head and waited for his response. When she heard none she continued

"I..I just saw you couldn't breathe and had to do something, I am really sorry if I hurt you…I, I'm glad you're okay", she looked up and saw him smile. "Orihime, don't apologize, I should be thanking you" he spotted the wet piece of bread on the floor and chuckled. "It was my fault, I really didn't think things through" she gave him a small smile and he noticed her eyes returned to a worrisome expression soon after.

"Abarai-kun", she looked down once more "I, I didn't mean for all of this to happen, and I will take all the blame and hatred towards me but please tell me how everyone is…please, tell me everyone is okay".

He heard soft trickling of water drops and saw the ground in front of her was getting wet with her tears.

"Orihime, we can talk about this later..but right now the main priority is getting out of here, I don't know much about this place but Espada or Arrancars could be coming here any second and I don't want you to get hurt if I can't fight them off". She didn't look up at him but gave a small nod that indicated her approval.

Looking around the corridor once again he indicated with a flick of his wrist for her to follow him. They walked in silence for what seemed like hours. It wasn't awkward silence for they both felt relief to see each other. Both content that the other one was alive but still preoccupied with each other's own thoughts.

Renji looked ahead of him, following the same corridor he had followed in the opposite direction his brow furrowed when his thoughts again started to take over his whole concentration '_She seems okay, she doesn't look hurt and except for the hurt expression on her face she really does seem okay. The hurt expression is to be expected though, she doesn't know the condition of any of her friends and must be worried for them, she's probably blaming herself for all of this and I really shouldn't say much to her for I might make it worse. The only thing that has me quite distressed is that dress she is wearing; did the Espada make her wear it? Or did they do something to her. I shouldn't assume anything though for I don't even know the whole story behind this, I can't lower my guard around her either, I never knew she'd be capable of betraying her friends but now that I think about it I don't really know much about her, all of this was just so quick and I really just jumped in without much thought. I'll try to find Ichigo and let him deal with it, she will definitely feel better when she see's that Ichigo is okay' _he inwardly nodded and continued on ahead.

Orihime didn't want to think bad thoughts but everything was jumbling around in her head and couldn't help but picture it all, all the good and the bad alike, it was all there and getting her hopes up and crushing them harshly in a roller coaster ride manner. She looked ahead and was about to ask Renji about who was actually here in Hueco Mundo but quickly pushed away the idea for the expression on his face didn't really look quite friendly. '_I can't expect him to talk to me like nothing happened, they might still have the idea that I came here because I'm on their side and I know they must be on their guard around me, trusting me again seems close to impossible' _she could feel tears start to form in her eyes again '_I can't cry, Orihime, be strong, weakness is the reason Aizen chose you remember?'. _She swiped her tears away with her sleeve and decided now wasn't the best time to be having these thoughts, thinking about Aizen always got her emotions in complete turmoil and now just wasn't the best time for this, not in front of her friends, '_they have already done enough'._

A While Later: 

"um..Orihime" Renji looked around the corridor, seeing three different hallways leading in completely different paths, she looked around his shoulder and adopted the same facial expression as Renji as she saw the question he didn't propose verbally. She was about to speak when Renji's facial expression changed from questioning and frustrating to doubtful. He quickly took the left path and Orihime, quite shocked by the sudden decision, had to walk extra quickly to catch up to him.

Renji's pace didn't slow, much to Orihime's displeasure, but he didn't notice when thoughts clouded his mind, '_It had to be, I'm sure it was, I just couldn't be mistaken, if I was then I'm just losing my touch but it really doesn't make sense, I really must be losing my touch, it would make more sense than the alternative'. _He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a thud behind him. He looked back and saw Orihime on the ground, her face in slight pain. "Orihime..I'm sorry, I..I didn't" he frowned at himself and helped her up, "I just sensed something and had to make sure I wasn't losing my mind, I.." he smiled at her and softly chuckled "I just had to make sure, you know" pulling her up with his hands on her arms he let her walk a bit to make sure she could and continued walking in a much slower pace. "It's okay Abarai-kun" she gave him a small smile and continued walking.

The two pair of eyes noticeably widened when the corridor's light subtly changed, after all both were quite aware that any change in lighting in Hueco Mundo was close to impossible. Any kind of light in Hueco Mundo was given off by the faint light of the always present moon, so why this change. Without any delay Renji grabbed Orihime in his arms with a squeal from the girl as he started running through towards the bright light.

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**Thanks everyone for reading! Chapter 2 will be up really soon. ^-^**


	2. Traitor

**Story at this point is very angst but it will lighten up, my stories always do xD and writing for Orihime has always been kind of a challenge because to me she's either very happy or very emotional lol, but I'll try my best to keep her in-character.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.**

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**Chapter 2: "Traitor" **

His face was composed in an emotionless state. The sharp pain from his arm and leg kept telling his brain that they needed to be healed but he had full control, he always had total control and ordered his brain to keep the pain at a minimum, which it did.

"Kuchiki-taichou, Hanataro-kun is doing all he can for Rukia-san and she should be just fine. Her condition was quite terrible, and if she had gone any more time without being attended to, well…." She looked away from him for a second, "um..anyway I need to attend to your injuries so if you could follo…"

"Do not worry about me Isane-fukutaichou" Byakuya interrupted her as he turned on his heel and headed towards his sister's direction, "if you could, just see to it that Rukia gets better as soon as possible, it would be greatly appreciated", the noble stepped away leaving the disappointed tall woman behind him.

Isane was about to protest but knew that once the young noble had made up his mind then there was no changing it. "Yes of course Kuchiki-taichou" Isane kneeled in front of Rukia and both healers used their healing kidou to heal the petite Shinigami in front of them.

'_If only I had gotten here sooner then she wouldn't have had to suffer through this, she has already suffered enough but I know she is strong, she is a Kuchiki after all'._ Byakuya was pulled out of his thoughts when he sensed a familiar reiatsu heading their way and another one not to familiar and much fainter.

'_Everything looks blurry' _the petite Shinigami tried to hold her head to stop the headache but her limbs felt like rocks '_what is going on…is..is that Isane-fukutaichou?' _

"Kuchiki-taichou, Rukia-san is awake" the tall vice captain stated with a smile as she looked up at the captain whose facial expression hadn't changed with the news.

"K..Ku..Kuchiki-t..taichou?" Rukia's voice was hoarse but looked around her and noticed the tall figure on her side "N..Nii-sama?" the girl's eyes widened as she saw her brother now with a clearer sight. "Nii-sama you're here" a smile apparent on her face as she looked up at her brother.

"Yes Rukia, it was an order from Yamamoto-soutaichou, and do not speak any further, you need to rest", he looked down at his sister

"B..but…"

"Rukia that is an order" Rukia looked like she was going to protest again but instead smiled when she knew, even though he didn't show it, she knew he was relieved to know she was okay. She nodded at his words and was about to close her eyes when she sensed two familiar reiatsu, and apparently so had Hanataro and Isane for they both looked to the direction she had sensed it.

"Abarai-kun?" Isane verbally projected her thoughts out loud and stood from her kneeled position. She immediately confirmed her doubts when she saw the spiky red hair in the distance, but mentally frowned when she couldn't recognize the other reiatsu.

"O..Orihime?" Rukia spoke with struggle; Isane looked down and saw Rukia struggling to look in that direction. At Rukia's words Isane immediately confirmed that the reiatsu definitely belonged to the bright orange haired girl for she had felt it before in Soul Society.

Meanwhile:

"Abarai-kun, umm can you please tell me where we're going?" Renji looked to the girl in his arms with the questioning gaze and smirked. "Don't worry Inoue if my senses are working okay then we should be heading to a good crowd, we should be able to sense something just up ahead", Orihime's curiosity wasn't fully met but decided not to push anymore.

"Ha-ha, I can tell you don't understand but just bear with me…" Orihime looked up at him once again with a questioning gaze when Renji's last words trailed off.

"TAICHOU…RUKIA…TAICHOU!" Renji quickened his pace and Orihime covered her ears and winced when Renji began to scream.

'_Wait what? Taichou? Rukia?' _It took a while for the words to sink into her mind. She looked up at Renji then moved to face in the right direction. She immediately tensed when she saw the four Shinigami.

"Tai…Taichou, I...I was right, so I'm not losing my touch, I thought I sensed your reiatsu from miles back" the out of breath lieutenant smirked and was speaking faster than usual and hardly comprehensible.

"Um..but w…what are you doing here? Why is this place different from the rest? I..I don't know if you've noticed but the lighting and ground are different..um.. ww..what happened? why is everyone here?"

Renji's breath came in short quick puffs as he put Orihime down and walked towards his captain. Byakuya looked at his vice captain with a cold expression before speaking, "Abarai, I will ignore the rude tone in which you voiced those questions but I have more important things to deal with than satisfying your curiosity". Renji inwardly scowled and looked towards Isane and Hanataro but quickly lost his scowl when he saw Rukia on the ground.

"Ru..Rukia?" he ran to her side and kneeled beside her. "Rukia? What happened here?" he looked to his captain but again refused to answer him. Isane looked at the worried expression on Renji's face and decided to answer him. "Abarai-kun, Rukia needs to rest, she will be fine", Renji face didn't leave Rukia's as he saw her open her eyes and could only lip read her way of saying 'Hi Renji'.

His face immediately dropped "SHE CAN'T SPEAK?" with a shocked face he turned from his captain to Isane. Byakuya looked at his vice-captain and inwardly frowned _'I need a new lieutenant'. _

"Abarai try to refrain from acting like a fool and unnecessarily raising your tone, Rukia is fine, she just needs to rest so I asked her to spare her voice until she feels a bit better" Byakuya looked at his smiling sister and then at Renji, whose face again had gone back to normal.

"Oh..okay thank you taichou", Byakuya nodded and noticed the girl in black and white clothing standing quite far off to his right. Renji noticed his gaze and stood up.

Orihime didn't seem to notice the eyes on her; all she could focus on were all the Shinigami, all their wounds. She looked at Rukia on the ground, the tears forming and coming down quite fast, the deep cuts on Byakuya arm and leg and Hanataro's own wound on his chest. '_Kuchiki-san? She is hurt..She's hurt and it is all your fault' _she kept telling herself again and again in her head '_all of them are hurt because of you…you caused this' _her gaze going from Shinigami to Shinigami, from wound to wound, never once looking at their faces but only their wounds. '_Don't cry Orihime' _she told herself '_don't cry..it's weakness…you have to be stronger, do what you think is right and stop what you think is wrong. Don't cry!' _She quickly wiped the tears with her sleeve and looked everyone in the eyes. '_I might have caused this but I can't be weak, not at a time like this, I need to heal their wounds and if they hate me and shun me for betrayal then I have to just accept it'. _Her face faltered slightly from resilient to hurt but upon noticing she quickly faced them all with a strong expression again.

Renji was about to speak but he saw her hurt expression, '_she looks scared like as if this was all her fault' _he saw the tears roll down her face and realized all the things she must be thinking, his eyes following hers and noticed the wounds he had failed to notice before. From Rukia's wounds on her shoulder and abdomen, to his captain's deep cuts in his arm and leg and Hanataro's stab in the chest, '_all of them…all of them she must be thinking were her fault'_. He sighed knowing he should probably do something to comfort the girl, stepping forward to do just that he stopped abruptly. All the eyes that were on her suddenly somewhat widened; the face of the young human girl had turned from frightened and worried to strong and defiant as she stepped forth.

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**Okay thanks for reading, Chapter 3-"The Strange Fog" is halfway written and that's where the whole plot of the story starts forming. **

**Review Please! (: **


	3. The Strange Fog

**okay so yeah, the pairing is very slow but trust me it will develop and you'll see it slightly by the next chapter or hints of it. I'll try to write a chapter or two every week, but I don't promise anything, anyways thanks for reading!**

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**Chapter 3: "The Strange Fog" **

Orihime stepped forward and with an emotionless face looked at Rukia, her face stone like, Rukia stared back at the girl and even though her face was calm she could tell from her eyes that she was hurt and in turmoil. _'I don't know what is going through Orihime's head but this isn't her, this isn't the Inoue Orihime I remember…did they do something to her?'_

The human girl never once looking at Rukia in the eye, kneeled before her, "Sōten Kisshun", she pulled her arms in front of her and at once Rukia was surrounded by a light orange shield that covered her in warmth.

Silence was the only thing everyone noted. Everyone had millions of questions to ask but no one dared speak. Orihime stood up once she had healed Rukia completely and moved to Hanataro.

"Inoue"…the silence was broken by the petite raven haired girl. Inoue didn't turn to her right away but nodded her head in her direction to indicate she was listening.

"Inoue, what's wrong?" Rukia moved closer and placed her hand on the human girl's shoulder.

"Nothing is wrong Kuchiki-san" the voice that was once sweet and bubbly was now stale and cold. Everyone noticed it.

'_I'm sorry Kuchiki-san I have to act distant to be able to keep my emotions hidden. I know you all hate me for what I did and if I were to tell you what happened I know I'd lose the little control I've had to this point. I..I don't want to lose the control, I don't want to cry..I don't want to be weak'. _Orihime balled her fists in her dress, _'don't cry…be strong, heal them and take all the consequences that may come later on, for betraying them, for losing their trust, any explanation or excuse I may give might just come off as weak and they might look at me with disgust, everyone…everyone will look at me with those eyes'…._

Orihime never looked at anyone in the eye as she again stood from her kneeled position in front of Hanataro. Her dress was covered in wrinkles of where she had forcefully tugged at the material.

She slowly got up and walked towards the 6th division captain. Placing her arms in front of her and repeated the all familiar words.

"Sōten Ki-" she looked at the steely gray eyes as she felt a tight grip on her wrist. Silent moments passed, no one moved an inch.

"What do you think you're doing?" the deep monotonous voice breaking the silence.

Eye contact never breaking she spoke up in the same emotionless manner, "your arm and your leg, they're cut" she said pointing at them as if stating the obvious. The noble's face never once losing composure, "I know, but don't trouble yourself I don't need your assistance" the human girl knew she shouldn't push but those cuts on the noble's limbs were screaming at her 'YOUR FAULT YOUR FAULT' she just couldn't take it, seeing the blood dripping from the limbs, seeing the stained clothing. It was too much.

"It won't take long and it won't hurt either, please just let me heal your wounds", and shook her arm from his grip, and again took the stance for the healing light to cover him.

"Sot-" she was again cut off by the same repeated move from the noble.

"I said no, I was being polite but I won't repeat myself again so quit whatever you're trying to do" she lowered her head but brought it up immediately to look him in the eye. _'You're being weak Orihime don't look away from him, show him that you're not scared you have to make things right, he's injured because he's here and everyone is here because you decided to come here first, make things right!' _

"I…I can't leave you like this Kuchiki-san," she shook her arm but he didn't let go this time, he just tightened it further but she kept resisting the grip and shook her arm more, "I…I need to heal you, so pleas-.."

"I won't be healed by you, not by someone who betrayed her own kind and Soul Society", everyone's eyes widened at those words…looking from Byakuya straight to Orihime. The human girl stopped her arm's movement and went completely still, her composure completely breaking.

Orihime could feel the hot liquid stinging the corners of her eyes, she couldn't hold it back any longer, the trembling of her body was obvious and the stone like façade she had only seconds before came crumbling.

Rukia looked from her friend to her brother in shock, "Nii-sama-" she said in a whisper, taking in her friend's weak composure and knowing this wasn't going to be good.

Her eyes darted from side to side, her face contorted as if she were in pain, _'WHY? Kuchiki-san, why? All I wanted was to heal all of those who I hurt and accept my punishment, just….just' _her tears blurred her complete vision _'I didn't want this I didn't want to hurt anyone…I..I just wanted to help, to keep you all from harm…'_

Rukia was about to rush to her friend's side when something caught her attention, a slight movement below them caught everyone but the human girl's attention.

"Did you all feel that?" Hanataro asked with a panicked tone.

"Yes Hanataro-kun, it was slight but I'm sure it was an earthquake".

"Yes Isane-fukutaichou I think it was", he started to chuckle, "ha-ha but thank goodness it was only a small one huh?" the tall women nodded and looked to the other three shinigami.

"Well Kuchiki-taichou, Abarai-fukutaichou, Rukia-san… Yamada-kun and I have to get going now, Unohana-taichou said to meet with her when we were done here" the tall lieutenant bowed and the two 4th division members went their way.

The quiet small talk from the departing 4th division members was the only noise apart from the quiet sobs from the bright haired girl. Renji was about to speak about what they should do next when another movement was felt, but this time it wasn't slight, but just quite the opposite. Around them mountains and structures started to come apart.

"We have to get out of here" the noble spoke but as he looked behind him the ground was starting to crack, sand parted and the ground quickly opened exactly where Rukia and Renji were standing.

"NII-SAMA!" Rukia's voice was barely audible over the loud noises that the earthquake was causing.

"RUKIA!" Renji quickly grabbed the raven haired girl's arm before she fell into the opened ground, he held onto the edge of the cracked ground with one hand and Rukia in the other, the red haired shinigami sent his captain a nod telling him that he'd take care of her.

Isane and Hanataro being farther away turned around and noticed what was happening. "Isane-fukutaichou what should we do?" she looked at him, shocked and doubtful she knew what they had to do, "Hanataro-kun, we have to get out of here and wait for the earthquake to pass, we can't help them if we are also hurt or fall into that hole", Hanataro nodded and continued to run behind his lieutenant.

Byakuya looked around himself, the ground below his feet was also starting to crack, and the sand seemed to be screaming as it waited to also take him in with it. '_Stay calm, don't do anything foolish and think quickly, first you have to get that girl somewhere safe, she is obviously still in her own thoughts I can still shunpo fast enough to save the girl and be able to save my sister and Abarai, just in time to make it to steady ground', _Byakuya didn't think things twice as he flash stepped to the human girl and quickly grabbed her in his arms, then just as quickly he turned around and was about to move when he saw something odd. Up ahead a thick gray fog covered the Hueco Mundo skies, with alarming speed coming towards them. Byakuya didn't have a very good feeling about the smoke for it carried a frightening aura around it. Without much of a second thought the young noble held his breath and rushed to his lieutenant's side,

"Taichou I can't hold on any longer", he grip loosened around the rock and blood started to appear in his hand. At just that second the rock the red head was holding on to decided to start to crack sending both shinigami to the bottom. Byakuya flash stepped just in time to the other direction before falling in with them. The smoke filled the skies completely, noticing the girl in his arms was starting to get impacted by the smoke he quickly took of his scarf and wrapped it around her nose and mouth. _'This should block out the smoke, I don't know what it is but I can't trust anything in Hueco Mundo'._

Orihime felt like she was being carried, she knew she was being carried, but didn't really know what was happening around her. Everything was fading and she felt light headed. Noise didn't allow her to peacefully close her eyes and kept her as alert as she possibly could be. Her eyes widened when she saw a boulder heading their way. She looked up to see the face of the person carrying her and noticed he wasn't paying much attention to anything behind them.

'_Kuchiki-san please move, the boulder..Kuchiki-san…' _yet nothing, his face was concentrated as if being in a far off place. Allowing all her concentration, fighting the desperate need to close her eyes and fall asleep she moved her arms in front of her and through a muffled voice spoke. "Santen Kesshun", she said with her words being as clear as the scarf around the lower half of her face would allow. An orange shield quickly covered their heads as it came in contact with the boulder just a second later. That brought Byakuya out of his thoughts and surprise covered his face for just a moment as he looked from the girl's arms, to the shield, to the bits that were left of the boulder around his feet to her closing eyelids.

'_I can't do much now' _the noble told himself _'I can't risk falling in with Abarai and Rukia, I know he'll take good care of my sister, I have to get to where Isane and Hanataro are and help them when this is all over' _he quickly flash stepped this mind filling with thoughts yet again '_when did I make the habit of getting distracted from situations this easily' _inwardly frowning at the thoughts, surprise overtook him when he noticed his reiatsu start to diminish quite quickly '_what is going on?'_ His flash step slowed and eventually failed all together. The distance that he was supposed to flash step over was now cut by half, the half that he needed to be able to bypass the giant hole in the ground. '_My shunpo? It's never failed before..what is causing this'?_

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**i know you might be a little confused as to what is going on but everything will be explained later on (:**

**thanks for reading, let me know what you think so far. **


	4. The Aftermath

**Sorry it took me so long to upload this chapter but here it is..finally (:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**

**The pairing starts to form a bit in this chapter yay ^-^ hope you like.**

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**Chapter 4: "The Aftermath" **

The captain of the 6th division noticed the hole wasn't all that deep, a couple of fifty to sixty feet deep he readied his body for the contact with the ground.

Landing swiftly on his feet he looked up. The hole wasn't too deep, any seated shinigami could flash step his way out of it. He released the breath he didn't notice he was holding and fixed his footing to make his way out but remembered he was still holding the unconscious human girl, and he couldn't see his sister and lieutenant anywhere. '_I should look for them and wait for the human girl to wake up before I leave'. _Taking a seat he placed the orange haired girl carefully next to him. Looking around the cavern like area he noted many things, first of all, it was dark and wet, the ground consisted of dirt and rock with half of it being dry, the other half was wet from the dripping overhead. A lot of sand had gotten into the area so that explained the dry locations. Second thing he noticed about this area was the extensive tunnel like system; it must have been a hidden location Hueco Mundo used to frequent often before Aizen had arrived bringing with him the castle. It was dark but one could still see enough to walk ahead as small rays of light would penetrate from the small cracks overhead. The tunnel like system bothered Byakuya the most, for it would lead to an irritating maze like environment making it extremely difficult to find Rukia and Renji.

The space that led to the maze like tunnels were enclosed with the walls on either side of them being about five feet apart and the ceiling reaching about seven feet in height, the only real space was the grand opening leading to the top where they had fallen through, which was fifty to sixty feet in height. The earthquake had already stopped and so had the collapsing of sand into the hole. It looked to the noble that this area was used in Hueco Mundo to house or entrap individuals that were deemed a burden or unnecessary, meaning there had to be an entrance. One thing was for certain, he just had to follow one of those tunnels to find his sister and lieutenant, and escaping was relatively easy as well, just a few shunpo steps to the top. To test out his plan he grabbed the resting orange haired girl and moved her further away from the opening to make sure if he were to lose footing on the rocks that none of them would fall on her.

Looking up from his point he noted a few steps he would try to aim for and started. Shunpo was always one of his many talents that he had perfected over the years, much to his displeasure to admit, even in his own thoughts, he credited much of his success to a certain demon cat woman. Shihōin Yoruichi had pushed and aggravated him to the point of many sleepless nights training out in the Kuchiki manor's training grounds to reach her level and one day surpass her. Gathering small amounts of reiatsu around his heel he pushed himself up for the boost needed to come to his first target. Confusion clouded his head as he came back at the starting point. He was sure he used enough of it to make the first target, something was definitely off. Gathering more than needed he tried again, this time he made progress but not enough, not even close to reach the first target to get to the top. He managed to get about five feet off the ground when his first target was about another ten feet higher, about four and a half shunpo steps should have gotten him above ground. His reiatsu wasn't what it originally was, he always had endless supplies, what any other captain was supposed to have but at this point he felt like had about what was required to barely make it into a division. _'This is going to be more difficult than I originally thought, it's best to find the others first and hope my reiatsu goes back to full potential by the time we get back here'._

About three hours passed since they had fallen through and the girl by the noble's side was still out of it, she had been resting this entire time, Byakuya didn't want to jump to any conclusions or think about the 'maybes' and 'what ifs' right now he was only concerned in the fact that he had to share the already compact space with a traitor. He was also a man that believed in justice so that is why he saved her. It would have been easy to let her die, let her stay in her blank and overly-emotion driven state while the remaining shinigami flash stepped away. Anyone in that kind of state would be completely defenseless and unable to react; anyone would have been instantly killed when they hit the sixty feet drop. Byakuya knew that if he had done that and not taken her with him that he would have had the time to save the others and probably would have been alert like he always was, he still wasn't really sure what had him so distracted when the incident happened but he didn't like it one bit. Letting her die would result in never finding the truth behind her actions which bothered him the most, why would a girl he had always considered trustworthy and caring of the human kind betray her friends; _'mostly that rude and disrespectful human boy Kurosaki Ichigo'. _He wasn't going to blame her for this; she didn't force him to save her, so she wasn't to blame, he had chosen to carry the girl with him so in the instant all consequences that resulted afterwards would befall on him.

Looking away from the drops of dripping water from the ceiling he looked to his side and took in the girl's sleeping appearance. The forgotten scarf had made its way off her face completely and was now barely clinging to her shoulders. She had her head resting against the rock wall behind them which looked uncomfortable enough already but her head was turned in an awkward position which wasn't anything good for her neck. His gaze traveled to her face, she had large eyes with a long line of eyelashes decorating her sleeping lids. Her alabaster skin had a slight pink shade around her cheeks which must have been the aftermath of the sobbing she had been doing a lot of recently and her rosy lips were parted slightly to allow her comfortable breathing which he could hear clearly being this close to her. It was relaxing really, with the mixture of the dripping water drops in the background, it seemed that if he wasn't so fixed on staying awake and recollecting his thoughts he would find it quite appealing to join her for a rest. He could make out the slight trail of tears she had shed, it was quite conspicuous to anyone else that would be talking to her or sitting across from her but at his angle and his proximity to the girl he could notice, it started from the bottom of her eyelids, down her cheeks and onto the beginning of her neckline until the rest of the trail was hidden underneath cloth at the middle of her neck. His gaze travelled lower to the clothing itself, inspecting it closely. The dress like apparel was the length of her body, from the middle of her neckline reaching down to her ankles. He had gotten it through his head already that she was indeed clad covered in enemy robes. It was like it screamed her betrayal, the only part that wasn't covered in this material were the middle of her hands, her fingers, her head and the top half of her neck. It was apparent that whoever's idea is was for her to present herself in this state was trying to accomplish some deep emotional damage. Most likely the damage depended on the person but even Byakuya felt an uneasy stir seeing the girl that had always been on their side now dressed exactly like the enemy. Byakuya's eyes drifted back up to the girl's hair. It reminded him of spring, his favorite season. It was the only real color in the otherwise grayscale scenery that surrounded them. The color was fresh and vibrant; her hair was long and neat, held back with two small flower hairpins on either side of her head. He had always had a deep appreciation for long hair, and the fact that her hair was this long and the color was this rich made him feel a bit more at ease, well at the most ease one can be with a traitor sitting alongside you in a cold enclosed space. He had never really associated with the girl but everyone always seemed happy when they were in her company. His sister had always spoken marvelously of her and she always made note to tell him to never eat any of her cooking, not that he ever intended to or be placed in a situation that would require that in the first place. He remembered how one afternoon during dinner Rukia had come into the dinning quarters with a plush rabbit and made a big deal about how this 'chappy' was a gift from this girl. Taking in the quiet and peaceful demeanor to her face he couldn't really understand how such a nice seeming girl could have done what she did, but it wasn't his place to judge her, everyone had their hidden sides to them, maybe hers finally decided to show itself.

Byakuya noted how he had lost a significant amount of time and debated with himself on whether or not to wake the girl. She looked so peaceful but she was a traitor, he couldn't be this lenient. He stood from his perch along the stone wall and frowned when it became apart to him again just how enclosed this space was, his 5'11 frame was one foot under the ceiling, just reaching up with his arm he easily could touch the stone walled ceiling and standing in the middle of the area and extending his arms outwards he could touch both walls with his hands. The noble really disliked cramped spaces; he loved open area like the outside where he could practice his bankai with no problems. It wasn't like he had a phobia for enclosed areas it was just he preferred not to be in them. Many times while being on assignments in the human realm Renji had insisted on taking something called an 'elevator' but seeing it firsthand he always opted for the stairs.

"Inoe Orihime" he said in his cold monotone voice trying to wake the girl with just his regular voice, he really disliked having to raise his voice for anyone. After a few seconds of waiting for the girl to stir or open her eyes she never did. He tried this method of waking her up about two more times but it seemed she was really out of it; he'd have to make some noise or use another method.

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**Thanks for reading everyone. **


	5. Awakening

**Yes two chapters posted in one day, it's to make up for my late updating in the past. Thanks for all who have read this far!**

**Disclaimer: I do now own Bleach**

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**Chapter 5: "Awakening" **

The apathetic captain of the 6th division was always deeply reluctant to physically come in contact with anyone else and would really have to be desperate to use this method but the girl was the most insistent individual he had ever met to sleep through anything. Taking a squatted position in front of the girl about a foot apart he placed his hand on her white clad shoulder and shook gently while calling her name. The touch seemed to have some effect for Orihime stirred slightly, her eyelids fluttered modestly before coming to complete confinement once more. This slightly irritated Byakuya but he knew with a good amount of persistence it would work. Tightening his grip a little more on her warm slender shoulder he shook her again and watched with relief as she finally managed to lift her eyelids halfway and started rubbing her eyes while staring at the man in front of her with an emotionless expression. Byakuya was always a man that could read faces and know exactly what the person was thinking, and you'd think with a girl as expressive and predictable as Orihime that it would be easy for the cool headed man to know what would happen next but her stare was unreadable. The only sound in the room being the dripping water in the cold cavern as gray met gray; her eyes becoming slits as she adjusted her neck to alignment, the awkward position it had been in for three hours now becoming apparent.

The first thing Orihime noticed after she woke was the man in front of her, he was perched on a crouched position just about a foot in front of her, he was wearing the typical black and white shihakusho with a tall slim katana hilt peeking its way into view from under the white captain haori that obscured view of the remaining metal weapon.

His cold gray eyes befell upon her for another second then the man stood and moved aside letting her eyes adjust to her surroundings taking note of the large hole overhead just a couple of feet from where she was sitting, the ground had many wet areas and fortunately she was sitting on one of the few dry ones. Next thing she noted was the enclosed space for even her closet at home had more space. She lowered her gaze to her knees and took in her dress. The white dress had moistened spots around her chest area, as if she had been crying, there were visible wrinkled marks left behind on the material covering her upper thighs as if she had been clutching the mater too tight. The colors weren't her favorite for she preferred colors that stood out like rich reds, vibrant violets, and any shade of orange.

Looking up at the man in front of her once more she noted he didn't look particularly happy at the moment. She noted to herself that his face was stone like and in need of a good tension releasing massage. She knew of a few spots around town that treated you to those luxuries for a cheap price. Orihime stood up after looking at his face for a couple of moments and finally realizing what it was that he wanted her to do, his facial expression saying everything he wasn't verbally voicing. Inoe Orihime always had a knack of being able to read expressions even if they were hiding something she could figure out the truth.

Byakuya relaxed slightly that the girl had seemed to take his lead and stand; he was already contemplating on how they should advance. They were going to proceed ahead with torches he had already planned how to make, for the tunnel only got darker the deeper it went until the line of sight led to pitch black, but first…

"Inoe Orihime" Byakuya turned his head to the side and seemed to catch the girl off guard for she immediately straightened her posture and released the strand of hair she was playing with just seconds ago, "we will precede ahead in search for the others, I don't know if you have a preference but I suggest you stay behind me and just follow along, I can still sense their reiatsu and finding them should be simple".

Taking a few steps around where they were standing he had his eyes scanning over the dirty ground in search of the material he needed. Bending slightly he picked up several broken strands of wood that had fallen in with them and tore off one of the sleeve endings from his uniform and tied the material tightly along the base. Kido would have been an easy way of lighting the material but he didn't know what exactly was affecting his reiatsu so he opted for a safer approach, even as a skilled kido user as he was, it would be risky to use something that was tied precisely to the reiatsu that had been compromised, even using something as simple as Hadō #31. Shakkahō could lead to mass destruction of the already tight space leading to a collapsing wall and that was the last thing they needed right now. Taking his katana from his sheath he placed in front of his body and spoke in his usual monotonous voice.

"Scatter, Senbonzakura", Orihime marveled at the beautiful katana blade disappearing leaving behind the hilt. The blade itself becoming thousands of floating pink blades, she watched in awe as only two pieces were near them as the rest remained floating overhead around where the hole began leading to where it ended. _'Whatever is messing with my reiatsu is really strong, I can barely manage to control Senbonzakura, I can only keep it in shikai for a few more seconds before it wears me out' _focusing on the two blades individually they started hitting against each other creating light sparks in the process. Byakuya held the wadded wood material in one hand and the hilt to his katana in the other. The sparks flew about becoming stronger the faster they flew past each other and collided. Finally the sparks were enough to start a light fire on top of the torch. With his depleted reiatsu and torch ready he placed his katana back in its sheath and motioned for the girl to follow who was still wide eyed and out of it at the show she had just witnessed.

They started walking in silence for a few seconds when the loud voice belonging to Orihime halted both their steps as realization hit her.

"Ohh~ I remember who you are now! I knew I recognized you! You're Kuchiki-san's brother!"

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**I think you all knew that fog wasn't good news, now you know why :p (well part of it :O ) **

**review please (: **


	6. Finding the Truth

**sorry about late updates but I will try to post more frequently now, it is part of my new years resolution, anyways enjoy (:**

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**Chapter 6: "Finding the Truth"**

Byakuya frowned at the girl's words, the completely obvious statement was definitely not what he was expecting to hear, maybe a barrage of excuses or pleads as to why she did what she did but never that, maybe she was hurt in some way.

"Yes Inoue, I am Rukia's brother, you already knew that".

Orihime smiled kindly at the older male and scratched the back of her arm, "well yes but I haven't really introduced myself properly, and you were very kind to let us stay at your manor the last time we went to soul society, I'm just surprised that you even remember my name but I still want to formally introduce myself, it's the least I could do".

Orihime moved her arm forward, her palm facing inwards and spoke, "I am Inoue Orihime, very nice to meet you".

Byakuya watched the girl with narrowed eyes, he didn't know what kind of game she was playing but he was a man that didn't have the time or patience for such childish idiosyncrasies. Much to Orihime's chagrin Byakuya turned on his heel and started walking inwards.

"I do not know what kind of game you are playing but I do not find it amusing in the slightest, now let us proceed, the others are waiting".

Orihime stood dumb folded at the man's actions for a second but from what she knew of him she thought it was natural, he was very prideful, _'he must be hurt that I didn't remember him, I should make it up to him later'._

Only hesitating for a second more she proceeded and followed the captain who was walking too briskly in Orihime's opinion. After catching up to him Orihime grabbed onto the haori. "Please Kuchiki-san, can you slow down a bit, seems I'm having trouble keeping up", Orihime laughed sheepishly but stopped when the man in front of her moved quiet abruptly from her grasp.

"I suggest you refrain from touching me, if you need me to slow down all you have to do is ask".

Orihime swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, "t-thank you Kuchiki-san".

Byakuya's expression never faltered as he continued his pace forward, this time much slower. Time passed by in silence as the only noise continued to be their steps and the occasional drips of water overhead in the damp space.

"D-do you mind if I ask you something Kuchiki-san?"

Byakuya was too wrapped up in his thoughts that he barely managed to hear the girl's question, "You may ask your question, but do not expect me to answer, I will only answer your question if I find it relevant".

Orihime considered just staying quiet but she really was curious, "Um well, can you tell me where we are? I have school tomorrow so I can't stay long".

Byakuya slightly frowned at the completely unnecessary comment. "If you are trying to make jokes I suggest you watch your words, this is very serious, let this be the last exchange of words we have until we find Rukia and Renji".

"What!? What happened to them? Are they okay?" Orihime moved swiftly from behind the man in front of her and blocked his path, "Please Kuchiki-san, tell me they're okay".

Byakuya could have easily sidestepped from the girl's blockade but decided against it, he noticed the concern in the girl's eyes that was emphasized with the fire's light that shadowed her face and decided it was best for both of them if he cleared it up for her; she was unconscious when most of the incident happened after all.

"Do not worry yourself, they are both trained shinigami, you have to give them a little credit, it seems they are also in this place like we are, just in a different location, that is what we are doing at the moment, looking for them in this maze, the sooner we can locate them, the sooner we can get out of here". Byakuya decided to leave the details about her betrayal out of his explanation, it's not like he was going to be stuck with her forever anyway.

Orihime brought both her palms to her chest and sighed in relief at the news, "that's great, I mean not great about them being stuck, but it could have been worse, I was imagining much worse".

After a moment of awkward silence, Orihime looked up at the man who was staring back, she didn't understand his stare until she realized she was still blocking his path, with a tinge of red adorning her now flushed cheeks she stepped to the side the most she could, which was until her back hit the stone wall and let the captain walk ahead, she smiled at him and let her fingers graze the sleeve of his haori, he noted the slight touch and arched a brow at her actions.

"Thank you for answering my question Kuchiki-san, you have put me quite at ease now".

Byakuya only nodded as his response and continued walking ahead which the girl trailed after in a much more relieved state.

Hours had passed and they were still walking in an endless straight line, the torch Byakuya had made had gotten considerably smaller that it could barely illuminate about a foot in front of them. Byakuya gave it another half an hour until the fire gave out, but at this point his only worry was finding his sister and lieutenant and finding another source of light.

Orihime was busy as well but with much different lists going on in her head.

'_I'm not sure if I washed my uniform, ughh I hope I did, I have class tomorrow and I had that strawberry and mustard sandwich yesterday, I really hope the stain isn't too hard to get out, well at least I made lunch so I don't have to worry about that…I really hope we find Abarai-kun and Kuchiki-san soon, I have so many chores to attend to'_

"Oof", Orihime was pulled out of her thoughts and was completely surrounded in darkness as she collided with something hard, bringing her hands up she felt cloth and quickly realized who she had just bumped into, "I'm so sorry Kuchiki-san, what happened?"

Byakuya inwardly groaned, he had paused his step just momentarily and at that moment he was pushed forward by the girl behind him, the movement had caused the fire to lick his hand just enough to be released onto the wet floor which gave out the moment it came in contact with the water.

The captain ignored the girl's question and tried to control his reiatsu to no avail, with this amount of reiatsu he wouldn't even be able to enter the soul society. "It seems we are going to have to walk in complete darkness".

The thought was ridiculous to Byakuya, it was like walking with closed eyes through an unfamiliar path trying to find someone that was lost, he knew it was ridiculous but with the amount of moisture in the underground cave it was impossible to start a fire and he knew it.

Orihime hoped there would be some light to shine the way, it unnerved her greatly to try to follow the reserved man who barely made a sound as he walked, and holding a conversation with him was definitely out of the question.

Suddenly Orihime got an idea and grabbed onto the back of Byakuya's haori to make sure he didn't leave her talking to herself, "I know how I can get some light Kuchiki-san, just stand behind me please".

Byakuya didn't complain, it was getting quite irritating that this girl kept grabbing onto him and with the promises of light he didn't mind being in the back, less of a chance of being pulled or pushed.

Once in front Orihime placed her fingers on her temples next to her blue flowered hairclips and spoke in a clear composed tone, "Santen Kesshun", out of nowhere a bright orange shield about five feet tall stood in front of the girl and illuminated the whole passageway much better than the torch. Byakuya was very impressed but never showed it, he was questioning the girl's ability, how she could still use such techniques while he couldn't even manage to use an elementary kido spell.

He had many questions to ask the girl but decided to ask them later, he had a feeling there was still a lot to get through until they reached the others.

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**The more reviews the more I will be motivated to post new chapters, thanks for reading everyone :D**


	7. Spilling Tears

**Short chapter, mainly deals with inner thoughts from Orihime's and Byakuya's perspective. Real story starts next chapter ;)**

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**Chapter 7: Spilling Tears**

Byakuya kept a good distance behind the girl with bright orange hair. He would never admit this out loud but he was actually quite impressed with her. The girl he had first laid eyes on outside the tower was definitely not the same girl that stood before him this very second. It was just impossible. She had been a complete mess, crying her eyes out because of the way he treated her, and to be honest with himself, he wouldn't have treated her any differently if he could relive the moment. The fact that she had betrayed her friends and allies in Soul Society spoke volumes about the girl, just that one fact spoke more to him than if he were to stay in this underground cave with her for a year. Sure she seemed sweet and innocent but he wasn't naive as to believe that so easily, for it could just as easily be a front. The fact that she cried and demanded to heal him did confuse him though, why would she trouble herself on healing the ones that came to stop the man she was now so obediently following? Was it guilt? Was it pity? Byakuya shook his head at the thought, he knew that couldn't be it.

He was really good at reading people and this Orihime girl was a huge puzzle in his opinion. She turned from frantic lunatic to carefree human girl in just a couple of minutes, he didn't get it one bit, the possiblity of it all being a front just made sense to him, trying to appear strong infront of him wouldn't be something that was all that strange to him but even as much as to joke about being late to school, what exactly was that? Was she so relaxed and unfazed about the idea of being stuck in a cave for kami knows how long? It was way too much...She wasn't that girl though, the front she was putting up was strong and dependable, she was playing the complete opposite of the part he thought she would follow, for he thought to be quite unlucky on his part to be stuck with her of all people, she was overly emotional and people that didn't see reason and reality the way he did, he honestly thought she would just slow him down but the fact that he was the one depending on her at this very moment proved to be surprising to him, maybe he was judging her a bit too quickly? Whatever the case may be he already determined in his mind that he would be very observant of the girl, every little detail would help to play a key role in unraveling this girl's true intentions, all he had to do was observe and keep his distance, for after all, getting too close was never an option.

The pace in which they were walking was a slow one, well in Byakuya's opinion it was slow, but he was renowned for his speed and diligence that he suspected slow for him would be considered fast to anyone else, he also didn't want to put a strain on Orihime, she was in fact the one that was leading and pushing her too hard wouldn't be easy to deal with, mostly if she decided to crack this false facade she was putting up and decide to show her true colors.

He had his eyes closed and only followed the girl with his ear, he could hear her footsteps and matched his to hers exactly, just a good distance behind, so if she decided to pull anything on him, he'd be ready. Getting caught off guard was something Byakuya tried to avoid, and with years of practice under his belt, he made sure it never happened. Opening his eyes just slightly he took in the impressive sight before him. The girl's ability let the cave stand illuminated to a great degree, much greater than any fire or kido could accomplish. She really did puzzle him, she could have easily used whatever other ability she may be hiding to escape this place and leave him behind for he knew quite well that it was only her that still kept her abilities in check, but she hadn't. He had shown weakness in front of her by letting her know that something was messing with his reiatsu and therefore couldn't jump out of the cave or use any kido spells, even his zanpakuto was useless, the only thing he could use it for was for it's blade and he assessed that it was enough to defend himself if situation was brought about.

Noticing his eyes on her, Orihime turned around and smiled kindly at him, her words once again adding to his frustration, "Kuchiki-san is something the matter? I know you like it being quiet but if anything is on your mind you know you can tell me, I want to be of any help I can". She kept her gaze on him and her steps came naturally, as if she had mastered the technique of walking with eyes closed. Byakuya kept his eyes on her face, tracing any sign of lying on her part but he didn't pick up anything, if he wasn't who he was he would have probably told this girl his whole life story without a second of hesitation but he knew better. He couldn't and wouldn't talk to the girl that betrayed them, right now they may be joining forces to escape this hole but once out they would once again be on different sides. She would be with Aizen while he would be with Soul Society, nothing changes. She could use the information he told her to her advantage and use it against him, which would only make him the fool.

Closing his eyes once again he spoke in an apathetic tone to assure her that he was fine, "Don't trouble yourself over me, and just like you said, I prefer the silence".

Orihime adopted a worried expression on her face but decided to turn her head to the front once again. She knew there was a lot on the captain's mind that he wasn't going to tell her. She wanted him to feel comfortable and she knew that if he just spoke to her that he would feel the weight on his shoulders lessen. The way he was treating her was cold and distant and she didn't get it. If she didn't know any better she would have assumed he thought of her as the enemy. The thought brought a small smile to her face, it was silly of course, she knew for a fact that she would never betray her friends or anyone in Soul Society, they had all been extremely kind to her. She knew the captain of the sixth division had a stoic personality and would take some effort on her part to get him to open up to her but she didn't expect it to be this hard to get along with him. Orihime pouted and frowned slightly, 'he could at least pretend to be nice to me'.

"Kuchiki-san, you said earlier that you could sense their reiatsu, are we close to them?"

Byakuya had indeed felt their reiatsu earlier on but now it had diminished so much that just like his, had completely washed away. Whatever was affecting them so much had only gotten stronger to the point where it was untraceable. The only thing that had relieved his mind was that the path was one long straight line, he didn't know what he would do if they came upon a fork on the road.

"I can not sense them anymore, but we don't really have much of on option than to keep moving forward".

Orihime nodded with a bit of reluctance but took in his words, they were in fact true, the place they had started at was a dead end, meaning going this way was their only way out. Still she felt a lot of emotions, she was cold and scared. She wanted to be with her friends, she wanted to go back home. 'What am I doing here? Why can't I remember a thing of how I got here in the first place, and why am I with Kuchiki-san's brother of all people? He is obviously uncomfortable with my presence so why am I with him in the first place I-'

Orihime tried to control her emotions but she couldn't, it was too much for her to handle and she closed her eyes to try and hold back the tears that were trying to escape.

Byakuya noticed her shoulders shaking slightly and narrowed his eyes at her actions. She was hiding something...there was no way she could go from hysterical crying to this carefree girl...completely impossible.  
It was to be expected that not anyone could deal with this kind of situation, so he wasn't really surprised by her strong display of emotions, it would be startling for her not to be emotional at a time like this, yet he never really thought of her as a regular human girl, she had demonstrated enough of her abilities to prove that.

When quiet sobbing filled the cave Byakuya couldn't take it anymore, sure he could let her cry and continue walking, it really wouldn't bother him that much but the cave echoed her sobs that it weighed heavily on his ears and his guilt. Other than that it wasn't like it was when she first started crying back in front of the tower, this time they were alone in an enclosed cave with her being the only one that illuminated their path, it wasn't as simple as walking away this time. Byakuya coughed to clear his throat but that only led the girl in front of him to briskly turn around, her eyes wide and wet.

"I-I'm so sorry Kuchiki-san", she bowed and brought her hands closer to her body, the bright orange shield that she held before her was also brought closer to her chest which made the tears glisten and intensify, her eyes were puffy and discomforted, "I shouldn't be crying like this in front of you it's just-" she chuckled in a light hearted manner that was obviously her attempt to brush it off as nothing, "actually I don't even know why I'm crying right now, I guess I'm just tired and cold, I can't stand myself right now, it's like I'm being a burden to you, and that's the last thing I want to be to you right now, I miss Kuchiki-san already but you're her brother so you must be feeling even worse at the moment...I know what you must be feeling to a degree for I also lost my brother so that is why I can put myself in Kuchiki-san's shoes and I know she will be relieved when she sees you".

Her words were warm and sweet to his ears, he hadn't heard such sincere words since-  
Uncomforted by his train of thought Byakuya decided it was time to carry on, and right when he was about to voice his opinion, Orihime spoke once more.

"I guess another reason I'm crying like this is because I miss my friends".

Byakuya almost (almost) scoffed at her words. She missed her friends? How ridiculous, he wanted to walk away but again that was out of the question. She actually had the audacity to say that line without feeling shame? Maybe she really was just another selfish human.

Orihime stopped her tears and wiped her face with her sleeve. Byakuya thought that maybe that trick could fool everyone else but it wouldn't work on him, he had put up with worse things in his life, and she would have to try harder than that to change his opinion of her, he knew the only one that could impact him so much with a single tear was-  
"Kuchiki-san, I'm sorry, please let's continue, I need to see my friends".

She pushed her arms forward and the shield brightened as if her new determination was added to her skill. He couldn't agree with her more seeing as the more time they spent talking, the more time that was wasted. He had a really bad feeling about this whole situation, the fact that he couldn't control his reiatsu, the fact that he was stuck in some cave with a girl he considered an enemy, and with every passing moment things just seemed to get weirder.

If he wasn't a man that had quickly caught on to controlling every aspect of his being he would have gasped as his eyes fell upon what laid ahead.

* * *

**Review please :) **


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